Editing Hack Wilson (section)

===Early life and minor leagues===
Lewis Robert Wilson was born April 26, 1900, in the [[Pennsylvania]] steel mill town of [[Ellwood City]], north of [[Pittsburgh]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Parker|first=Clifton Blue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu1TJLiZjbEC&pg=PA7|title=Fouled Away: The Baseball Tragedy of Hack Wilson|date=June 28, 2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-8139-2|pages=7|language=en|access-date=April 23, 2020|archive-date=April 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120639/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu1TJLiZjbEC&pg=PA7|url-status=live}}</ref> His mother, Jennie Kaughn, 16, was an unemployed drifter from [[Philadelphia]]; his father, Robert Wilson, 24, was a steel worker. His parents never married; both were heavy drinkers, and in 1907 his mother died of [[appendicitis]] at the age of 24.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=7}}

In 1916, Wilson left school to take a job at a locomotive factory, swinging a sledge hammer for four dollars a week.<ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/> Although only {{Height|ft=5|in=6|out=unit}} tall, he weighed {{Convert|195|lb|kg|abbr=unit}} with an 18-inch neck, and feet that fit into size {{Fraction|5|1|2}} shoes. Sportswriter [[Shirley Povich]] later observed that he was "built along the lines of a beer keg, and was not wholly unfamiliar with its contents."<ref name=Conner>{{cite book|last1=Connery|first1=Floyd|title=Baseball's Most Wanted II: The Top 10 Book of More Bad Hops, Screwball Players, and Other Oddities|date=2003|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=1-57488-362-3|page=58|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DrQB0z6nEfcC&q=hack%20wilson%20beer%20barrel&pg=PA58|access-date=January 8, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120717/https://books.google.com/books?id=DrQB0z6nEfcC&q=hack+wilson+beer+barrel&pg=PA58|url-status=live}}</ref> While his unusual physique was considered an oddity at the time,{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=12}} his large head, tiny feet, short legs, and broad, flat face are now recognized as hallmarks of [[fetal alcohol syndrome]].<ref>Collier, Gene. No One Stacks Up to Hack. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10143/1060238-150.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526160909/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10143/1060238-150.stm |date=May 26, 2010 }} Retrieved March 28, 2011.</ref><ref>Wickersham's Conscience. [http://wickershamsconscience.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/book-review-fouled-away-the-story-of-hack-wilson/ Wordpress.com archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902091405/http://wickershamsconscience.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/book-review-fouled-away-the-story-of-hack-wilson/ |date=September 2, 2011 }} Retrieved March 28, 2011.</ref>

In 1921, Wilson moved to [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]], to join the [[Martinsburg Mountaineers]] of the Class "D" [[Blue Ridge League]].<ref name="Hack Wilson minor league statistics">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=wilson001lew |title=Hack Wilson minor league statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629080958/http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=wilson001lew |url-status=live }}</ref> After breaking his leg while sliding into [[home plate]] during his first professional game, he was moved from the catcher's position to the outfield.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=16}} In 1922, he met Virginia Riddleburger, a 34-year-old office clerk; they married the following year.{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=16, 22}} In 1923, playing for the "B" division [[Portsmouth Truckers]], he led the [[Virginia League]] in hitting with a .388 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].<ref name="Hack Wilson minor league statistics"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=14479 |title=1923 Virginia League Batting Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629081012/http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=14479 |url-status=live }}</ref> Late in the season, [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] manager [[John McGraw]] purchased his contract from Portsmouth for $10,500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|10500|1923}}}} in current dollar terms).<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/>